18 must-follow #ncpol experts on Twitter

Twitter isn’t real life. But in the world of politics, it may as well be.

North Carolina has a robust contingent of folks who pull back the curtain on state politics 280 characters at a time and give an in-the-moment perspective you can’t get anywhere else.

If you’re looking to wade into the North Carolina political Twitter world — also known as #ncpol — here are some must-follow accounts.

[The best way to follow North Carolina politics is through the free weekly Longleaf Politics newsletter. Be sure to subscribe.]

Gerry Cohen

The former special counsel to the General Assembly is still applying his legal mind to the goings-on in Raleigh, and letting us all in on the secrets. He’s the pre-eminent historian of North Carolina politics and what we consider the top #ncpol Twitter account out there.

Brent Woodcox

It’s fitting that next on our list comes the current special counsel to the General Assembly. The Raleigh attorney tweets from a reasoned Republican point of view and has his finger on the pulse of the state.

You can be dismissive of your party doing bad deeds because it can be justified on the basis that the other side also does bad deeds. But just know you don't get to be taken seriously as an arbiter of moral standards when you are only willing to apply them to the other side.

Jonathan Kappler

The executive director of the NC FreeEnterprise Foundation is a fount of knowledge and regularly tweets out updates on fundraising and other nonpartisan research. His morning live videos are a must-watch.

A recent appearance by #NCGOV Cooper (D) at the Lumbee Homecoming made me think of the political context of some events & policy pushes, also recent controversies in #NC09 race highlight another function of outside groups, Watch on #Periscopehttps://t.co/8r5kRxezBN#NCPOL#NCGA

Rep. Tim Moore

'It wasn't until North Carolina started lowering taxes and cutting regulations that we finally started to move forward out of the recession….We want to keep moving North Carolina forward' with record savings reserve, revenue surpluses, rapid job growth: https://t.co/YaIuVJnST5pic.twitter.com/3VEbiGxn0W

Kristopher Nordstrom

Kris is an education policy analyst for the N.C. Justice Center, and as such has a clear point of view. But he’s one of the closest eyes on the state’s public schools out there, and whip-smart. If you want to get nerdy about ed policy, he’s your guy.

Another fun #ncpol stat: With F>E candidate name ballot order (F last name first in order, E last name last in order), here is which party gets the top spot on the ballot for #ncga State House of Representatives:Democratic 61Republican 49Libertarian 8Constitution 1Green 1